MNPHA Partners on the Canadian Rental Housing Index

MNPHA Partners on the Canadian Rental Housing Index

May 14, 2018

The Canadian Rental Housing Index (CRHI) is a comprehensive database of rental housing statistics, displaying information for more than 800 regions and municipalities across the country. Released on May 8, 2018, the updated Index provides a data-driven foundation for policy-making decisions at all levels of government and the community housing sector.

The Index can be used to track and compare average rental costs, how rental housing spending compares with income, and the rate of overcrowding in municipalities, regions and provinces.

Data from the Index show that for Manitoba:

  • 37% of renter households in Manitoba are spending more than the recommended 30 percent of average income on rent and utilities. 15.5% spend more than half of their income on rent, putting them at a crisis level of spending.
  • Manitoba saw a 10% increase in rental households from 2011 to 2016 – a total of 13,100 new households.
  • While renter households saw a 20% average increase in their income from 2011 to 2016, monthly rental costs have increased by an average of 24% in the same period, outpacing income gains by 4%.
  • 11.8% of renter households in Manitoba experience overcrowding. Manitoba overcrowding issues rank second only to Ontario when compared to other provinces.
  • Winnipeg has the largest share of renters (40%) in the province spending more than the recommended 30 percent of their average income on rent, followed by Steinbach (39%), Morden (39%), Hanover (37%), Portage la Prairie (36%), Selkirk (36%), and Brandon (36%).
  • While renter households in Winnipeg saw an average increase of 25% to their rental costs from 2011 to 2016, their average income increased by only 21% over the same period, putting more of the population at risk of a crisis level of spending.
  • Churchill/Northern Manitoba (Division 23), North East Manitoba (Division 19), and Pilot Mound (Division 4) are ranked as #5, #6, and #8 respectively on the list of BEST communities in the country for rental affordability.
  • At $406, North East Manitoba (Division 19) has the lowest rent in the country.
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